Sanjiv Goenka: Lot of thinking has gone into recruitment of players

Two-time Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) champions, ATK had a disappointing time last season, as they failed to consistently find goals and thus finished five points adrift the final qualifying spot. The club promptly addressed this aspect in the summer transfer window, bringing in high-quality attacking players from around the globe to help launch a challenge for the Hero ISL 2019-20 title.

In a recent interview with indiansuperleague.com, ATK co-owner Sanjiv Goenka gave an insight into the club’s recent recruitment process and how crucial a role new head coach, Antonio Lopez Habas played in it. Here are the excerpts.

Q: How are ATK preparing for the 2019-20 Hero ISL season?

A: We have had two indifferent (Hero ISL) seasons, so clearly this season (2019-20) we are hoping to correct that. We believe we have a great team and the team is confident of a good performance. Fingers crossed.

Q: With Antonio Lopez Habas returning, will there be expectations to repeat past success?

A: As they say in North India, ‘aapke muh mein ghee shakkar’, we certainly hope that (winning titles) gets replicated. That’s what we are working for and that’s what we are aiming for. But this is a sport at the end of the day.

Q: How influential has the coach been in ATK's signings this time around?

A: The head coach (Antonio Lopez Habas) has certainly been involved in the recruitment. It is something that we have spent a lot of time as a management on the recruitment of the players. They have researched much more than they have ever. A lot more work has gone this time than in the past. We are hoping that the results will show on the field.

The two-time champions begin their search for silverware with a clash against the Kerala Blasters on October 20. Roy Krishna, David Williams and a host of other stars will be on display and could be the difference between success and failure Antonio Lopez Habas' men in the Hero ISL 2019-20 season.